Date:
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Contact:
Chris Vigna, WSDOT Incident Response, 360-905-2020
Sylvia Ross, WSDOT Communications, 360-905-2058
Mike Kesler, Washington State Patrol Public Information, 360-449-7960
LONGVIEW – Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reminds motorists that it will briefly close both directions of I-5 in Cowlitz County on the morning of Sunday, May 21, during the demolition PGE’s Trojan cooling tower. Washington State Patrol units will begin patrolling the closure area on Saturday evening.
Due to safety of the traveling public, WSDOT and Washington State Patrol (WSP) plan to halt traffic from milepost 28 to milepost 34 in both directions during the implosion event. Rolling slowdowns will go into effect just prior to the stoppage of traffic.
At 6:45 a.m., northbound rolling slowdowns will begin near Todd Road (milepost 25). Concurrently, southbound rolling slowdowns will begin near the Longview Wye, SR 432 (milepost 35). The complete stoppage of traffic will occur between mileposts 28 and 34. The tower is scheduled to be imploded at 7 am. It is anticipated that I-5 will re-open within fifteen minutes of the implosion.
In preparation for the event, WSP units will be patrolling the area several hours prior to the incident to prevent vehicles from parking on or near the interstate.
The closure is a safety precaution against slowing vehicles and blocked shoulders and lanes in the area – a 70 MPH zone. Dust resulting from the implosion is expected to move no further than one-half mile from the tower. This distance is within the river banks and is not expected to impair visibility or cause direct damage to motorists on I-5.
WSDOT and WSP personnel will be on site to assist with the closure and events related to the implosion. Additionally, one representative from the WSP and WSDOT will be stationed in the Unified Command Post (UCP) on the Trojan grounds in Oregon.
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Editor’s Note: Media members interested in this event should contact PGE Communications Office, 503-464-7078.
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